A method and apparatus for making bags or pouches is disclosed. It includes a track, at least two sleds that move on the track, and operating stations mounted on the sleds. The film moves along the track, and the sleds move with the film while performing operations on the film. The system can have the sled stationary while operating for an intermittent machine, and move to reconfigure when the film is moving. The operating stations include one or more of a sealer, a heater, a cooler, an inserter, a knife, a punch, a perforator, a static charger, and a printer. The track forms a continuous path or is linear. A controller controls the sleds and operating stations. The controller includes an operating time and/or a reconfiguration module. The operating time module is responsive to a user set material thickness or a sensed material thickness.

A machine for the production of a stand up pouch from a web includes a film feed which moves the web at continuously at a constant speed through a punching station, a folding station, and a welding station. The welding station includes a pair of seal bars which are driven by a server motor at a speed equal to a speed of the web during the welding. The punch station includes at least one electromagnetic punch.

In one example, a plastic product such as a plastic bag includes one or more seals. One of the seals includes respective portions of first and second plastic films that are arranged one on top of the other. The respective portions are joined together and are aligned generally parallel to a direction of elongation associated with the plastic films, where the direction of elongation is a direction in which the plastic films elongate when under load. As well, the respective portions extend along a length of the joined plastic films and have a length that is greater than a length of the plastic films.

The present invention relates to a method for making airtight packages (100) made of flexible material that are configured to seal an environment inside the package with respect to an external environment, said packages (100) comprising a front panel (1), a back panel (2) and two side gussets (3, 4) provided at opposite ends of the front panel (1) and of the back panel (2) so as to connect the front panel (1) to the back panel (2). The method comprises a first step of folding a sheet (60) made of flexible material along two first fold lines (L1) which are mutually parallel so as to form a tubular element (61). Moreover, the method comprises a second step that consists in folding an end portion of the tubular element (61) along two second fold lines (L2) that are oblique with respect to the direction of the first fold lines (L1) so as to form an end portion of the tubular element (61) that has two triangular portions (6, 7) having two mutually parallel sides (8, 9) and having a distance between each other equal to twice a first predetermined distance (D1). In addition, the present invention also comprises a machine (200) which allows using such method and a package that can be made by means of such method and such machine.

Apparatus for manufacturing an open-mouth bag of at least one layer of a flexible bag material, and method of manufacturing a bag by such apparatus. The apparatus includes a shaping device with a shaping box in the contour of the bag shape to be formed, with a top end and a bottom end, a conveying device for transporting the bag material along the shaping box, a closing device for joining the bag material along the shaping box to form a tube, and a closing station for generating a bag bottom, which is disposed beneath the bottom end of the shaping box. A partial vacuum device is configured to generate intermittently, a partial vacuum. When manufacturing a bag, the bag material is draped around the shaping box in the contour of the bag shape to be formed as continuous material and is joined to form a tube by the closing device.

A heat seal device includes at least two primary biasing members and a secondary biasing member. These biasing members are located between a slider and a first heat seal member to bias the first heat seal member towards a second heat seal member when bag components are sandwiched by the first and second heat seal members. The primary biasing members are arranged in a straight line in the first horizontal direction. The secondary biasing member is arranged offset from the primary biasing members in a second horizontal direction perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. The heat seal device is configured to allow adjustment of biasing force applied to the first heat seal member by the secondary biasing member.

Disclosed are embodiments of a volume control storage bag and methods of making same. The volume control storage bag may have first and second sidewalls, a double-locking closure mechanism with a first closure element extending along the first sidewall and a second closure element extending along the second sidewall, each closure element having a channel and an elongated member configured for interlocking with one another. A gusset is sealed along three sides of the first and second sidewalls, leaving an opening through the closure mechanism and defining an interior space having a specific volume. Corner seals may be formed at the corners of the first and second sidewalls, further reinforcing the double-locking closure mechanism for an airtight and hence waterproof seal. The volume control storage bag may be made of a food-grade polyethylene vinyl acetate blend, approximately 90% or less ethylene vinyl acetate and approximately 10% or less polyethylene.

A method of producing flexible polypropylene fabric bags with heat fused seams comprising providing fabric pieces, wherein each fabric piece has a coated side and an uncoated side; positioning fabric pieces so that a coated side of one fabric piece faces a coated side of another fabric piece; selecting an area of fabric to be joined for forming a seam or joint; applying heat to the area to be joined that is less than the melting point of the fabrics, for forming one or more seams or joints and wherein the heat fused seams or joints of a resulting polypropylene bag retains at least 85% of the fabric strength without using sewing machines.

During the manufacturing process the exterior surface of one or both of the sheets of plastic film which form the bags is treated with low temperature corona discharge plasma to raise the level of surface charge magnitude to at least 43 Dyne to increase the adhesion force between the bags. A recess is formed in each of the bags to further increase the adhesion. The increased adhesion causes the mouth of one bag to automatically open as the adjacent bag is removed from the rack. The recess is formed at the same time openings are created in the bags to accept the support rods of a dispensing rack. The bags can have simple edge sides or side gussets and may be provided in a package including a pouch which receives and supports the lower portions of the bags.

A stitchless highly oriented polypropylene fabric bulk bag of the type that can hold 500 to 5000 pounds (226.7 to 2268 kilograms) of bulk material includes a highly oriented polypropylene fabric top, body and bottom, with a heat fused joint providing an air tight connection between the top and body, and another air tight heat fused joint connecting the body and bottom. A fill spout and discharge tube may also be provided with an air tight heat fused joint connecting the fill spout to the top and another air tight heat fused joint connecting the discharge spout to the bottom. Heat sealing machinery include heat seal bar assemblies that can self-align during heat-sealing to apply even pressure to all areas being heat sealed. A heating element is of single piece construction and can include end coupler portions as part of the single piece construction. Carrier plates used in a heat-sealing assembly line guide parts placement, provide quality checks for parts placement, and tooling set-up for machinery.